The package reportedly put together by the Penrith Panthers was one of the most lucrative ever offered to an individual, whether it be AFL, NRL or rugby.

Forget the fact Thurston these days will occasionally wear the No. 6 jersey for club and state, because in attitude, style and responsibility he is a No. 7.

And like all great halfbacks, Thurston's game continues to evolve. When he arrived on the scene in the early 2000s at the Bulldogs, with his skinny-as-a-rake frame, he appeared to be foremost a ball runner who would slip through defensive cracks using speed more than guile and vision.

A bit-part player at the Dogs, Thurston moved to North Queensland to become the centrepiece player of their attack.

At the Cowboys his football changed through the years. Early on he played very tight and straight in and around the ruck with his co-pilot Matt Bowen.

Then slowly his game started to expand.

Mastering short sides, long sides, at times first receiver, in some matches more a second receiver. And like most ball players, for a while he appeared to lose his way a little, playing too sideways, skimming across the defence rather than into it.

But in the past few seasons Johnathan Thurston has mastered his craft.

Thurston still has that speed and athleticism that has always been a cornerstone of his game but the subtlety and guile of his ball playing these days ranks alongside anyone who's played the game.

But the thing that stands out most about Thurston in 2013 is his decisiveness.

When Johnathan calls the ball he knows exactly what he's trying to achieve.

Benji Marshall and Shaun Johnson are two stars who have seen their form drop in the past 12 months because of a tendency to play off the top of their heads.

This type of football is unpredictable but the results are, at best, inconsistent.

For that reason Andrew Johns should be congratulated on the job he is doing tutoring Manly halves Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans. The young playmakers continue to improve because there is thought to their play and clarity in decision-making.

Watching Thurston in the All Star game and then last week where he completely dominated the Bulldogs convinced me he is not only about to enter the stratosphere of being ranked alongside Allan Langer and Andrew Johns, but he will go past them.

Many will point to advances in training techniques and sports science, as well as better structured tactics as unfair advantages to Thurston when comparing him to players of yesteryear, particularly the Sterlings, Mortimers and Langers, but these advantages are cancelled out by a number of other factors:

* The modern defender is far superior in 2013. He is bigger, faster, more mobile and schooled far better in how to operate in a defensive unit;

* These defensive units are choreographed perfectly to react to whatever the attack throws at them;

* In 2013 star players' strengths and weaknesses and tendencies are exposed like never before due to the level of video technology and analysis. There are no secrets;

* Great halfbacks of the past, such as Ricky Stuart, Allan Langer and Peter Sterling, played in what can only be described as Super Teams. Sides which would not so much go over today's salary cap, but blow it to bits; and

* The winning and losing was shared more evenly amongst the side.

When Thurston plays brilliantly, the Cowboys win. When he plays well, they sometimes win. If he's below par, they are absolutely no chance.

When Andrew Johns was crowned the eighth Immortal of rugby league, he was labelled the complete halfback, the greatest No. 7 the code has witnessed.

I look forward to what they say about Johnathan Thurston and then the young man who will go past him.

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